The kanji 捜 primarily conveys the meaning of "to search," "to look for," or "to investigate." It implies a careful and diligent effort to find something or someone, often with a specific purpose in mind. This can range from searching for a lost item to investigating a crime.

・On-yomi (音読み): ソウ (sō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): さが(す) (sagasu)

⚫︎捜索 (sōsaku) Translation: Search; investigation; inquiry. ⚫︎捜査 (sōsa) Translation: Investigation (by police, etc.). ⚫︎捜し物 (sagamono) Translation: Something to look for; lost item.

The kanji 捜 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), which means it's a character that combines a semantic component (meaning) with a phonetic component (sound). The left side is the radical 手 (て - te), meaning "hand". The right side is 叟 (sou), which gives the sound. The original meaning of 捜 related to using hands (手) to search or look for something, reinforcing the meaning of searching or seeking. The formation illustrates the action of the hand actively engaged in the process of searching.